


Maybe it was fate, maybe it's ours

by SpadesDame



Series: Flare: to burn; to ignite [6]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Adoption Negotiations, Established Relationship, Kid Fic, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Pre-kid fic, Seto's fragile perception of the world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 11:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9894080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpadesDame/pseuds/SpadesDame
Summary: Seto dropped down to his knees to lessen the distance between his and the boy’s eyes. His face might have been unreadable but his eyes were glassy and vulnerable to Yuugi’s expert gaze. “Aki, was it?” When the boy nodded he continued. “I will see to it that you are not separated from your sister, okay Aki? Can you be brave for me?” Seto didn’t ask for his trust. He didn’t have to.He was unprepared for Aki to bodily throw himself at him, but wide-eyes or not he held onto the kid all the same. “Thank you, sir.”{Kaiba Corporation's annual charity event. The orphanage where it all started and a promise.}





	1. Chapter 1

“Dark Magician! Da-!” Yuugi prepared to shout, giving his opponent -Jounouchi, by the audience’s request- the finishing blow. Only he didn’t get to finish the command and the aloof magician was left hanging mid-air. Loud voices interrupted the duel and- crying? 

Something collided with Yuugi’s legs, making him unbalance. He caught himself before he fell, coming face to face with a very distressed toddler. He was red in the face, with tear tracks on his cheeks and an unruly mop of blond hair on his head.  

A near desperate attendant followed, calling him back. Catching a look at the frozen room and its occupants she stopped and promptly started apologizing for the disruption instead. “I am very sorry Mr.  Kaiba. We will immediately get out of your hair.” 

“What is the meaning of this?” Seto asked. If the room wasn’t already frozen, like a moment out of time, then surely Seto’s voice would have sufficed.  

“Merely a misunderstanding sir, I assure you. Here, I’ll get him.” 

At her approach, the boy hugged Yuugi’s legs tight enough to trip him. He flung his hands out to regain his balance as the kid shouted “No! no! Away! Make her go away!” amidst sniffles and random hiccups. Yuugi reached down to place his hand on the child’s head, hoping to comfort him somewhat while shooting the room at large a desperate look, willing someone better qualified to take the wheel. 

“As I said, a misunderstanding. Now if you’ll excuse us, Aki’s new parents will be here soon to take him. I must get him ready.” 

Jounouchi came forward, trying to look unthreatening as he dropped on one knee in front of Aki. Seto was still frowning at the woman, his shoulders tense as the boy’s crying refused to let up. Atem hovered behind him and a little to the right, looking uncertain. “Hey buddy,” Jou offered. Aki clung to Yuugi tighter. “Don’t you want to go home?” 

“No!” Aki wailed. “Not without Rika! RIKA,” he cried, inconsolable. Yuugi's heart clenched. 

“Huh? Rika?” Jounouchi asked. Anzu, while she had taken it upon herself to herd the rest of the children away from the scene, looked over.  

“My sister,” Aki mumbled in Yuugi’s pant leg, rubbing his face all over it. Yuugi blinked. Then his gaze snapped to Seto. Chestnut bangs posed a curtain in front of his eyes, but his viciously set jaw was as much a proof of his mood as anything, and Atem’s hand was now resting gently on his forearm.  

“You’re gonna separate them?” Jou asked. Yuugi thought that it must be just as much a sore spot for Jounouchi, considering the brutal way he had been separated from Shizuka-chan.  

The attendant looked hesitant and progressively more uncomfortable.  

“You were asked a question,” Seto suggested, the faux calm permeating the air reminiscent of the deathly calm before a storm. “I suggest you answer it.” Atem moved so he was standing beside Seto, their arms brushing in silent support.  

“Well, now, Mr. Kaiba…” She looked flustered now, but obviously found herself without a choice. “Our policy is of course to try and keep siblings together. We are just as much saddened when they are separated. But the fact remains that older kids are less likely to be adopted, and with the younger’s best interests in mind, allowances have to be made when a chance presents itself. You understand…”  

Seto understood alright, Yuugi thought as Seto’s lips morphed into a grimace. “No, I’m afraid I don’t.” He took a step forward, dislodging Atem’s hand in the process. “ _Did_ you try at all, I wonder? Unlikely. One less mouth is one less mouth to feed for you, isn’t it? Even with the ridiculous amount of money I pay you every year. Why, do you suppose, I do that, if not for the benefit of the children?” Atem caught Yuugi’s eye momentarily before he approached again, undeterred, and held onto Seto’s bicep. The affectionate nickname was so softly spoken that had Yuugi not been watching for it he wouldn’t have known what Atem’s lips spelled. Still, Seto went on. “So you can give them better chances, so you can give them the care they _deserve_. But no. I can see now that your policies have not changed at all in all those years. Will I have to do this myself? Do I have to do your work for you? Very well. These siblings are leaving here _together_ and I will see to it _personally_ if I have to.”  

It took a moment for the attendant to realize Seto had finished speaking, and a few more yet for the words to sink in. When they did, she gave a terse nod, with her head lowered submissively. “As you wish, Mr. Kaiba.” Then she turned on her heel and scurried down the corridor.  

Hesitantly, the little boy untangled himself from Yuugi’s legs and stumbled up to Seto. He sniffled. “Is –is the lady gone now? C-can I s-stay with my sis?”  

Seto dropped down to his knees to lessen the distance between his and the boy’s eyes. His face might have been unreadable but his eyes were glassy and vulnerable to Yuugi’s expert gaze. “Aki, was it?” When the boy nodded he continued. “I will see to it that you are not separated from your sister, okay Aki? Can you be brave for me?” Seto didn’t ask for his trust. He didn’t have to.  

He was unprepared for Aki to bodily throw himself at him, but wide-eyes or not he held onto the kid all the same. “Thank you, sir.” Yuugi’s heart swelled with something warm and foreign from watching them and a fair share of it was pride. Here was the place Seto had started from, fighting to keep his little brother safe and with him having lost his trust to the rest of the world and with no one to say those very words to him when he had needed to hear them. The answering flood of emotions from the other end of the bond told him that Atem was not far behind either.  

Seto’s hand stroked the boy’s head, fingers long enough to curl completely around the back. Even Jounouchi didn’t dare break the calm. Finally, the embrace loosened and Aki roughly rubbed his tiny hands all over his face before offering Seto a shaky smile. Seto appeared stunned, but Atem reacted on instinct, coming to the rescue once more, offering Aki his hand. “Hey little man. My name is Atem. How about we get you cleaned up?”  

Aki nodded and took Atem’s hand with little hesitation.  

“I’m afraid you’ll have to be my guide as I’m new here. Is that alright?” Atem’s free hand brushed by Yuugi’s as they passed, letting him know it would be fine with a quick wink. Aki accepted the lead almost enthusiastically and Yuugi smiled before making it over to Seto on a few quick strides.  

A quick bounding of feet. A little girl no taller than Seto’s knee came over just as Seto stood back on his feet and glared up at him with a might disproportional to her height. “Baka! You ruined my brother’s life!"she screamed, red in the face as Aki had at first been but for different reasons. "He would have been out of here! Why? Why did you do that! I hate you!” Before anyone had the chance to react, a vicious kick was delivered to Seto’s calf. Seto’s breath caught. His face was the perfect representation of shock as Yuugi reached over to offer support. But the girl was already gone.

Yuugi slipped Jounouchi his phone behind Seto’s back, mouthing ‘Isono’. At his friend's thumbs up, Yuugi took his lover's arm and ushered a worryingly complacent Seto from the room in search of the exit, leaving their excuses to Anzu’s more than capable hands.  


	2. Chapter 2

The following weeks were spent in a circle of perpetual tension and frustration for all involved. Seto seemed simultaneously more distracted and more focused depending on the task and Yuugi and Atem had had to resort to drastic measures to get him to sleep or eat more than once.  

Jounouchi had only managed to make matters worse with his thoughtless commentary. The “What are you gonna do, put them on _ebay_?” had put Seto in a rage for days and he had overworked himself until he crashed on the couch in the game room where he had come to look for them. Atem had arranged him into a more comfortable position with a sour expression while Yuugi called Jounouchi and subsequently banned him from the mansion until further notice.  

On the 36th day, the phrase “the custody won’t be acceptable until it’s himself who adopts them” followed by Jounouchi’s obnoxious chuckle had come to hang over their heads again. After a whole night of no sleep, Atem was forced to admit to himself that the idea was not exactly unappealing. In fact, it was the opposite. Sure enough, it had seemed at first that Seto had given another impossible promise that he would adhere to or die trying and yet… maybe it was for the best that Adequate Parents had not been found. 

Perhaps… Seto’s own subconscious saw something he did not.  

Atem had seen how much Mokuba meant to him. Seto had not been a mere brother but also a father. A father who had watched their child/brother go to university in another continent only two years ago, at the age of twenty four. Atem was also extremely aware of Seto’s soft spot for kids. How could he not be, when he was present for the yearly visit to the orphanage? As if Seto’s accessible amusement park vision was not a testament enough: KaibaLand.  

It would be a shock if Seto did _not_ want to adopt at some point, not that they would love him any less for it. The subject had never before come up but Atem… he had been raised with the knowledge that he would have kids of his own. Even when his preference in his own gender had become apparent, the matter of his succession had remained, and so at the very least an heir would have been expected. Yet death had come for him too soon for that to become a real possibility. He had lived, died, seen the world through Yuugi’s eyes and fought many battles with his friends next to him. In the end of all that, he had finally found peace and a home with his loved ones, which was already more than he had ever hoped for. 

 And now…   

Perhaps it was fate.  

He needed to talk to Seto, yet he didn’t want to go to him without having a clear picture of where all of them stood. And Yuugi had been a no-tell. Sure, Atem had seen him with kids often at the game-shop, but that was hardly the same and he couldn’t read him without talking to him first.  

“Aibou?” Atem approached Yuugi in the morning, just after Seto’s departure for the office. The game shop would not open until 9 am.  

Yuugi turned to him. “You sound troubled, other me. What is it?”  

Atem’s chest constricted uncomfortably at the realization that a huge conversation was about to take place here. They could finally, hopefully, get somewhere after this talk.  

“I’ve… found myself thinking… about what Jounouchi said. Have you ever thought about it, Aibou?”  

“What thing? Kids? Wow. I-” Yuugi cleared his throat and Atem’s stomach dropped.  

“I... I didn’t. That is, if you wanted. Someday? Not necessarily now. I just… wanted to ask-” 

“Atem. Easy.” Yuugi gave him a shaky smile. “I have thought about it. Not too much, mind you, but… why not. With you and Seto… We’ll make quite the family, won’t we? And Mokuba-kun, of course.” Yuugi chuckled and Atem smiled and nodded. It was not a clear answer, but then again, it was not the easiest of questions. It would chance everything. “It’s just… kind of sudden, eh? It’s about those kids, isn’t it? Aki and his sister.”  

“Rika,” Atem mumbled, forcing his heart to backtrack from his throat.  

“You’re thinking about that Jounouchi-kun said. I mean, _really_ thinking about it.”  

“I can’t say that I haven’t,” Atem admitted tentatively. Then he sighed. Steel resolve filling the spaces the air vacated and he looked at Yuugi with renewed confidence. “But it has to be a joint decision, aibou. If even one of us has their doubts, it’s not going to cut it.” He tucked one of Yuugi’s blond bangs behind his ear and smiled warmly. “I just hoped to hear your opinion. The real one please.”  

“Can you imagine a bean running around in here? Two. Make that two beans Atem. Gods.” Yuugi chuckled weakly, running a hand through his hair.  

Atem smiled. “Wouldn’t say beans. But… little people, yes.” The thing was, Atem could. And every time he thought about it, he seemed to warm up to the concept just a little more. “Little people to teach all there is about games.” Atem winked, so Yuugi knew that he was joking.  

He laughed. “And what, prepare the legacy? Atem, oh my…” Then Yuugi’s fingers curled around his and he was serious again. “You really want this, don’t you?”  

Atem squeezed his fingers, needing the grounding touch. “Right now, I want that you want. The future’s ahead of us.”  

“I’m just. Scared. You aren’t?” Yuugi asked.  

“ _Terrified_ ,” Atem admitted with a sad little laugh. Yuugi looked downright surprised to hear that, purple eyes wide and honest, and Atem couldn’t resist moving in to stroke his cheek. “I can’t help but feel like it will be worth it, though. So, I’m good to learn as I go.” He kissed the tip of his nose and Yuugi smiled tentatively.  

“That you are. And Seto… he will be great, won’t he? What with Mokie and all… He is probably a pro already,” Yuugi chuckled. The attempt to ease the tension was not lost on Atem. Yet…  

“Aibou… what are you saying?” There it was again, that uncomfortable constriction in his chest that felt like his heart would leap out through his throat. He had to be sure.

“Hey, why not? I mean. Is it what I imagined I would be doing after uni? No. But neither had I expected to host a millennia old spirit, let alone to spend the rest of my life with him.” Yuugi nudged Atem’s cheek with his nose, his hands on Atem’s hips. Atem could feel Yuugi’s breath on his skin and he was glad that at least one of them had not lost the ability to process air right then. “Yet here I am. And in the end it was all worth it, wasn’t it? So maybe this will be, too.”  

Atem was unable to break his gaze away from Yuugi’s glimmering and honest eyes. Yuugi’s hand rose to cover Atem’s over his own cheek and turned his head to kiss his palm. Warmth spread through Atem's body from that little ticklish spot and he leaned forward weakly to rest their foreheads together. All energy and tension seemd to vacate his body at once, leaving him weak and exhausted. Yet with what little he had left, he clutched Yuugi to him, who squealed in surprise before linking his own hands behind Atem’s back, letting Atem hold him as tight as he wanted. Chest to chest, like they could draw the other back into their body once again out of sheer will. With his nose pressed to his partner’s neck –the one who had given him chance after chance at life when even he didn’t think he deserved them- he took a deep breath, the first real one since this conversation had started, taking in Yuugi’s scent and that of his lavender shampoo as if to inhale him whole along with the air he breathed. “Are you sure?” he asked, the words muffled against skin and cloth.  

Yuugi nodded against him in answer and held him tighter, just shy of climbing into his lap altogether. When he felt a little kiss being pressed just under his ear, he drew back just enough to claim Yuugi’s lips in a kiss, sweet and warm and familiar.  


	3. Chapter 3

Atem laid in the middle of their bed, back propped up against the pillows with Yuugi snuggled under his right arm playing a game and Seto’s head in his lap. He was far from asleep, despite his seemingly relaxed state, and Atem kept carding his fingers through his hair in a lazy rhythm.  

“Any progress today, dragon?” Atem forced himself to ask, despite knowing exactly what the forlorn look meant. Seto scoffed into his thigh but otherwise remained unmoving. Atem pressed his lips together and let his hand travel over Seto’s back, to his shoulders, his exposed arm, before climbing up his neck again. It was a tricky matter; to propose the idea without having Seto perceive it as an obligation, a last resort, another burden for him to shoulder. “I’ve been thinking. About what Jounouchi said.”  

“Probably not worth it,” came Seto’s reflexive answer even as his shoulders tensed under Atem’s fingers. Neither of them had the heart to scold him for it.  

“This one… maybe it was.”  

One blue eye peeked open. Despite the tiredness, Atem could almost see the gears turning in his head. He pressed on, since he seemed to have his attention. Next to him, Yuugi hit pause and put down the console.  

“Food for thought, at least. I realized that I… would not be opposed to the idea. One day. When you're ready.” He had to phrase it like it was solely about him, for all of their sakes. “Raising kids with you… sounds good to me.”  

Seto frowned, but he propped himself up on his elbow to better look at him. “I was ready when I was 6, like it or not.” He had put on a mask again, perfectly expressionless and absolutely not what Atem wanted to see. “Speak clearly,” he ordered.  

This time, they couldn’t get away with screaming at each other until the matter was resolved or they plain couldn’t take it anymore. Atem had to tread very carefully. “Do you want kids, Seto?”  

Seto was silent, and he remained so while he thought. “I- Yes. What does that have to d-” He cut off, looked straight at him.  

“You haven’t managed to find anyone suitable, have you?” Atem asked tenderly, drawing his lip between his teeth to nibble on it.  

Seto snorted but without humor. “An understatement. There was this one couple, I thought that maybe…” he shook his head. “Irresponsible. Lousy parents. I must not be looking in the right place.”  

“Maybe…” Atem suggested gently “…look a little closer?”  

Seto stared at him for the longest moment. Atem met his stare with his own, unwavering, trying to convey the sincerity behind his words through his eyes. At some point, Yuugi had turned inward and had his chin propped on Atem’s shoulder, watching with apt interest. “What are you suggesting?”  

“That it would be okay, if you wanted to take them. The only condition is we _all_ have to agree.”  

“Shrimp’s been uncharacteristically silent,” Seto pointed out.  

Yuugi shrugged one shoulder. “I want to hear _you_ first.” Yuugi absolutely did not give him the easy way out.  

Seto looked away, to the opposite wall, needing some detachment to say his piece. “It’s been… weirdly silent since Mokuba left for the States. Hasn’t it?” He looked down at the sheets again. “I do want to have kids, to answer your question. I’m not quite sure at what point in one’s life it’s considered acceptable, but I’ve hardly ever abided by the rules, so I’m not about to start now.”  

Searching blue eyes danced between Atem and Yuugi and when Seto didn’t go on Yuugi took initiative. He caught Seto’s hand on Atem’s thigh and laced their fingers together. “There’s really no time like the present, right, dads?”  

Atem huffed, marveling at how far they had all come for Seto to come out and say as much as he had so easily. He caught their joined hands in both of his and brought them to his smiling lips, kissing their knuckles one by one. “Maybe it _is_ fate after all.” 

“There’s no such thing as fate,” Seto interjected –another automated answer.  

“Hey!” Yuugi laughed, mischief playing in his eyes. “Don’t knock it ‘till you try it, blue eyes!”  

Seto scoffed, dropping back down and curling into Atem’s body. Atem spread his arms out, content to hold both of them close to him. He slid one hand to Yuugi's shoulder, the other inching its way through Seto's hair in a tender caress. “We’ll make out own fate,” Seto mumbled, his eyes closing indulgently when he felt Atem's lips on his forehead. 

"But it was fate that brought us together, partner," Yuugi nudged Atem playfully in the ribs.

"What else could it be, when you complete me so," Atem indulged him, staring into his gleaming purple eyes with a sweet smile. 

"Oh shut up," Seto complained, batting at Yuugi blindly. Yuugi laughed, surging over Atem to kiss Seto's face in random patterns.

Seto thrashed, unprepared for the attack but still very much trapped within Atem's unrelenting embrace.

"Damn you," Seto mumbled between kisses to his chin before he shot an arm forward, hooking his elbow behind Yuugi's neck. Yuugi was left smashed into Atem's chest, fruitlessly trying to escape by pushing his hand against Atem's shoulder. Atem could only wrap his own arm around Yuugi's waist to hold him steady, content to watch the exchange. "You're incorrigible," Seto finally said, catching Yuugi's bottom lip in a nip that bordered on painful. Yuugi of course showed no objections, but Seto broke it off before it could escalate all the same. 

"Sleep, you children." Atem teased, pulling Yuugi to the mattress once again. He let him snuggle up to his side and get comfortable, hooking his arm over Atem's nearest shoulder. Yuugi kissed the skin under his cheek softly before settling. 

"Practicing already, papa Atem?" Yuugi teased back. Atem could feel him smile into his shirt and he pinched Yuugi's hip to see him squirm as he tucked the covers around him. 

"Sweet dreams, aibou," Atem mumbled into his hair, smoothing it out so it didn't get all up in his face. With his other arm still securely around Seto, he gave him what he hoped was a comforting squeeze. "Sleep well my dragon." 

Seto hummed, rubbing his face over Atem's chest, his long legs curling inwards until his knees touched Atem’s unclothed thigh and one arm flung over his waist. Atem brushed back his thick bangs, pressing his lips to his forehead once, twice, before letting his own eyes drift shut with a smile in anticipation of the coming day. With the people he loved most in the world by his side, he was content to face anything the future had in store.


	4. Chapter 4

“Heyyy, bro!” Mokuba’s cheerful greeting broke over the line. “’sup?”

“I trust you are doing well?” Seto asked, never one for small talk. Luckily, Mokuba knew and was not offended.

“Everything’s swell! Are you okay? Isn’t it kind of early there?”

“Just before six,” Seto admitted.

“Is something wrong?” Mokuba’s immediate switch to seriousness made Seto shake his head even though his brother couldn’t see him.

“Nothing’s wrong. But I… wanted to get your opinion on something.” More like, his permission, Seto thought. He would never take a decision that would affect their lives so lightly as not to run it by Mokuba. The king came first, and Mokuba was his.

“What is it?” Mokuba sounded worried. “You are okay, right? The guys?”

“No, nothing like that, Mokuba. I- Argh… Remember last month, we had the annual event at the orphanage. There was some… disturbance to put it this way, and I promised I would help some siblings be adopted together. It’s been disappointing, the search, to say the least. And we… have been thinking…”

“You want to adopt them? Is that it?” Mokuba asked. “Seto, honestly, I always had an inkling you would want to have your own kids someday.”

“There’s been some talk, yes.” Atem’s almost wistful expression came to the forefront of his mind, and unbeknownst to him, Seto’s could do nothing but mirror it. Then he composed himself. It wouldn’t do to rush ahead.

“Seto… you’re not doing this out of obligation?” Mokuba asked tentatively. Seto scoffed, although he couldn’t find it in him to blame Mokuba. He had every right.

“Of course not! I would not toy with our lives so easily!” anymore.

“Humor me.”

Seto sighed. He tried to imagine life after this. Truly nothing would be the same any more. Two little kids running around the house… livening up this dead space with their laughter and imagination… two little people to spoil and see them grow to realize their dreams… who knows what their ideas would bring to the world? Moreover… two little people to kiss goodnight and have them smile at them in the morning. A little human to carry around on his shoulders like he did Mokuba before he had far outgrown the activity… a giggle like wind chime at the simplest fascinations…

“I do.” His voice sounded thick and he cleared his throat; tried again. “I do want it. But only if you’re okay with it, Mokie.”

“Oh, Seto. No. Is that what you were worried about? Silly Nisama. Would you love me any less if you had kids?”

Seto bristled at the mere idea. “Never.”

“There, see? Don’t hold yourself back, Seto. I want you to be happy. If it’s what you want, I say go for it.” Mokuba paused. When he spoke again, the cheerfulness was back. “And beware! I’m coming back for the holidays and I’ll be spoiling your kids rotten! See who the best uncle is then!”

“Thank you,” Seto managed around the lump in his throat.

“Bro, are you crying?”

“Don’t be stupid.” Seto coughed in his fist. It sounded unconvincing even to his own ears. How embarrassing. He was really going soft. He hadn’t cried during the worst of Gozaburo’s lessons.

A knock on the door. “Seto? We were about to- are you okay?”

Seto turned his back to the door and to Atem with a mumbled curse. They should work on their timing thing. This was ridiculous.

Unfortunately for him, Atem wasn’t easily deterred. Soft footsteps padded on the floor, followed by a gentle touch to his lower back. He forced a shuddering breath out of his lungs, willing his wildly beating heart to slow down.

“Dragon? Is that Mokuba?”

“HI! Atem!”

“May I?” Ever so gently, Atem pried the device from Seto’s fingers. “Hey kid.” Atem’s eyes were trained on Seto even as he held the phone to his ear. “I’m not hanging up, just setting you on the table, okay? Doing so now.” A soft click of the phone on the steel surface, then Atem’s hands came to circle Seto’s wrists. “What happened?”

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Seto? Talk to me, lover. Hey.” Atem caught his shoulders, his grip grounding before he slid them upwards, palms cupping his cheeks. “Look at me.” His thumbs brushed over his cheekbones, under his eyes, then back again in a soothing motion. Seto shook his head as best as he could in that position. “Breathe with me, Seto.”

Holding Atem’s red gaze with his own, he swallowed and tried to clear his head. Little by little, his world started to narrow down to Atem, until the only thing was his intense red eyes, the wild tumble of blonde tresses around his face and the gold of his jewelry. Out. They had been heading out. It was Wednesday. An office day.

Gradually, Seto came back to himself. He closed his eyes for a moment, to center himself, to find Atem fmiling at him when he opened them again. Seto curled inward, into Atem, letting his forehead touch his lover’s.

“Can you tell me now?” Atem asked.

Seto exhaled. “Kids, Atem. Kids. Can you imagine?” Somehow, he couldn’t keep the grin out of his voice.

Atem’s smile broke out into laughter, unrestrained and wonderful. “Yes,” he said with an answering grin. “Yes I can. You’re going to be a wonderful dad, dragon.” He pulled back, winked playfully at him. “I’d bet you Mokuba would agree, and I’m not the King of Games for nothing.” Cheering came from the phone. Seto ducked his head. He could name a great number of things he had done wrong in his life. Yet, they were here, and they supported him despite his failings –they loved him, even. So perhaps it hadn’t been all bad. He must have done _something_ right.

Atem went on, his eyes glistening with unshed tears . Seto was captivated. “Little people to run wild in the house and fill it up with their life force. Little people to say the most outrageous things at dinner time that won't be  _Yuugi_ for once.”

“Hey! Aw, busted.” A fumble. The door pushed open. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? I do NOT.” Atem’s grin morphed into a smirk. Yuugi huffed in indignation. Yet he walked up to them all the same and wrapped his arms around Seto’s waist, squeezing to his heart’s content.

Seto took a moment to ground himself, using both of them as anchors before he reluctantly withdrew, unlatching Yuugi’s arms with some difficulty. What he had done to deserve them, he didn’t know, and probably never would. But he was trying not to question it too much. “Go wait in the car. Both of you.” He made a shooing motion with his hand. “Go.”

Once they were out the door, he put the phone to his ear again.

“Okay now, Nisama?”

“Yes. I apologize. I don’t know what came over me.”

“I think It’s called happiness, big bro.”

Happiness. What a strange concept. “We’ll talk later,” he finally said. “Go to bed. I didn’t mean to keep you up so long.”

“Don’t mention it. And, Nisama?”

“Yes?”

“I’m happy for you. You deserve this.” Mokuba paused. “Probably the most out of everyone I know."

**Author's Note:**

> Hello people. This has been sitting in my head for a while now. I have. so many ideas? Honestly. Has this been done before? Nonetheless i hope you enjoy this ride as much as i have.  
> I am posting this as a separate series after this one fic, even though it can be seen as a continuation of my other Flare series. It takes place some years after that. I wasn't sure how many people would enjoy this one though, so i chose to play it safe! It would do good though to have some touch with the characters and characterization i'm using to check the other one out first tho, if you haven't. 
> 
> With that said, i would like to make some clarifications concerning the fic. I keep reading fics that expand on Seto's misgivings during the series and feelings for them. I can't help but feel that those keep holding him back despite all his talk about looking forward. No, they cannot be forgotten and yes they do play a big part in his psychology. Yet those are issues that have happened more than 6 years go by the time this fic starts (closer to 8 in fact) and i would like to think that those have been years that he has been working on them constantly with the aid of Atem and Yuugi and of course, Mokuba. This was the reason I didn't give much weight to them, but chose instead to show Seto's more subconscious reaction (instinctual? maybe?) to the realization. The past trauma has been dealt with over and over again so that he won't linger too much in his self-deprecating moments, yet it has left a deep enough scar that even while it heals it gives him stray surges of terror and uncertainty. Terror that i would like to think won't cloud his sheer happiness too much. 
> 
> Now Atem. I think Atem would be very interesting with kids. He would take to every new day (aka every new challenge) like a Duelist Kingdom duel, with determination and unconventional approaches where there is need for them. That said, I think he truly hadn't given it too much thought after the whole Zorc crisis, mostly because he didn't get the chance. He hadn't thought he would get to live again, either, yet he has found love and happiness with no less than two people. 
> 
> Them and Mokuba are already a family (an extended one, if you add the Yuugi-tachi) so i would hope it isn't too much of a leap for them to take the next step. After all, they have never backed down from a challenge, and surely not one that matters. Yuugi's side of things has been halfway covered by the above as well. I think he would want kids, in the distant future. He hadn't realized that future would come so soon, no, but seeing his partners' excitement must be getting to him too. I wonder if he seemed a little passive, but hopefully his scene with Atem helped clear things a bit. Out of the three of them Yuugi is maybe the most hesitant, not for lack of want, but because it's something to expect, to wait for. We haven't really seen him in the series expecting something, i think. All major changes have been thrust upon him and he reacted splendidly to them. Something like that will happen here as well. In the next installment, hopefully any doubt will clear itself with help from the kids themselves!
> 
> If you can spare a minute, let me know what you thought? What stood well with you and what didn't. I didn't have the easiest of time writing this and i would really appreciate it. <3
> 
> For updates in this, please subscribe to the new series, since it's where all future kidfics will go and i will be posting no more here. I will keep this series for the couple-y things. OuO <3


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